Category Archives: Nevada politics

If Republicans go through with their plan to dismantle the Affordable Care Act using a similar model as their failed 2015 Obamacare repeal, the number of uninsured would double, a new report by the Urban Institute report warns. (pdf) Taking into account the two or so year delay GOP lawmakers say they will include in the repeal bill, the non-partisan think tank estimates that in 2019 the number of uninsured nonelderly people would rise from about 29 million to nearly 59 million. [TPM]

And the numbers represent what? Answer:

Eighty-two percent of the people becoming uninsured would be in working families, 38 percent would be ages 18 to 34, and 56 percent would be non-Hispanic whites. Eighty percent of adults becoming uninsured would not have college degrees. [UrbanInst. pdf]

Percentages have a way of sounding bland, so some clicking on the Plastic Brain results in approximately 33,040,000 of those people who would lose their health insurance by 2019 being non-Hispanic white people. 47,200,000 would be those without a college education, and thus presumably not in a position to secure the kind of employment providing the resources to find individual health plans.

If the 2015 bill is used as the framework or model, then the Urban Institute projects that there will be 762,000 uninsured individuals in Nevada only 18% of whom would be eligible for assistance; causing a 95% increase in the number of uninsured in Nevada. Those Nevada politicians who have been denouncing the Affordable Care Act (read Rep. Mark Amodei R-NV2) may want to pause before “taking credit” for creating a 95% increase in the number of Nevadans without health insurance.

It’s important to recall that the Big Lie about the Affordable Care Act is that it is “socialized medicine.” In reality it’s an Insurance Law. It doesn’t create a nationalized health care system – it merely increases the number of people who have “access” to health care by providing more people with the capability of purchasing health insurance policies.

Senate Democrats have already signaled that should the “Straight Out Of The Gate Repeal and Replace” come from the majority Republicans the GOP can expect no assistance from the Democratic side of the chamber. [TPM]

And, then there’s the politics of the repeal. If the GOP decides to use the Reconciliation Process (needing only 51 votes for repeal) then Senator Dean Heller (R-NV) raises a question: “What we are trying to figure out is what the restrictions on reconciliation,” Sen. Dean Heller (R-NV) told TPM. “Does reconciliation allow for a replacement? And it may or may not.” [TPM]

If the process doesn’t allow for “replacement” then the Republicans have chucked the insurance for those with pre-existing medical conditions, insurance coverage for mental health, insurance coverage maternity care, protections from junk insurance policies with maximum limits, and other popular features of the ACA. They may also be chucking hospitals under the bus.

One private equity spokesperson noted last November, “… hospitals, especially those in rural areas, could be tremendously hard hit if the replacement rolls back the progress made under the ACA to insure patients and incentivize them to get care before their illnesses require emergency room visits or hospitalization.”

Thus, with the lack of any specificity from Republicans about the nature of the “replacement” we could posit some serious problems for the members of the Nevada Rural Hospital Partners – in Winnemucca, Fallon, Battle Mountain, Boulder City, Carson Valley, Ely, Winnemucca, Incline Village, Hawthorne, etc. A 2016 report for the American Hospital Association provides some general conclusions from which we can contemplate the effect on Nevada’s rural health providers:

”The loss of coverage would have a net impact on hospitals of $165.8 billion with the restoration of Medicaid DSH reductions; The ACA Medicare reductions are maintained and hospitals will suffer additional losses of $289.5 billion from reductions in their inflation updates; Full restoration of Medicare and Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) payment reductions embedded in ACA would amount to $102.9 billion.” [AHA pdf]

The technical term for these losses might be “ouch?” There is a point at which rhetoric meets the road. It’s all well and good to bellow “Repeal and Replace?” Or, “Get Rid of Socialized Medicine.” It’s another thing entirely to puzzle out the impact of repeal on all the stakeholders in this issue – the customers and patients, the health care providers, the hospitals and clinics, the insurance companies, and the investors who have an increasing stake in privatized health care in this country.

There are some elements of the Affordable Care Act which could be improved. However, the Burn the Barn Down political pandering on full display among Republicans isn’t leading to any current and serious discussions of how to make these improvements viable. And, this is chilling for policy holders, insurance companies, health care providers, hospitals and clinics, and the investors therein.

Perhaps the Pottery Barn rule applies to Republicans: If you break it you own it.

The Orange Foolious campaigned on a well constructed platform of xenophobia, hate-mongering, and anti-immigration rhetoric – including attacking DACA. UNR’s president is having none of it:

“University of Nevada, Reno President Marc Johnson said he is supporting students who illegally immigrated to the United States as children and are now enrolled in college.

He is one of more than 500 college and university presidents that as of Tuesday had signed a statement calling for continuation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals programs, a 2012 Obama administration policy has allowed undocumented students to temporarily stay in school without the fear of deportation.” [Full article: Reno Gazette Journal]

This will probably not play well with the White Supremacy Crowd. oh well

It’s amateur hour in Washington, D.C. Not just for the Trumpster’s transition team but for the Beltway Media too? 45 years of foreign policy precedent just got reversed, and the punditocracy doesn’t seem to understand that the Orange Foolious isn’t thinking in terms of national issues. Personal ones perhaps, but national – not so much.

The Reagan administration understood; the GHW Bush administration understood; the GW Bush Administration understood – but his Republican version hasn’t grasp the finer points of international diplomacy, perhaps not even some of the more blatant ones to date.

There is really NO reason for having three different answers to the same question (Why did you take the call?) in today’s world.

Personal issues, perhaps:

“Weeks before President-elect Donald Trump’s controversial phone call with Taiwan’s president, Tsai Ing-wen, a businesswoman claiming to be associated with his conglomerate made inquiries about a major investment in building luxury hotels as part of the island’s new airport development. Weeks before President-elect Donald Trump’s controversial phone call with Taiwan’s president, Tsai Ing-wen, a businesswoman claiming to be associated with his conglomerate made inquiries about a major investment in building luxury hotels as part of the island’s new airport development.” [Guardian]

And, we note the carefully phrased disclaimer from Trumpster Aides:

“A representative for Trump Hotels said there had been no authorized visits to Taiwan on behalf of its brand for development purposes, nor are there any active conversations.” [WSJ]

Humm, no “authorized visits” and no “active conversations.” This is interesting verbiage because from the same WSJ article we find:

“Reached Saturday by The Wall Street Journal, Ms. Chen, who is also known as Charlyne Chen, said she’s not a Trump employee, but has worked as a promoter and salesperson of real estate properties in Las Vegas and has a letter stating that she is a “sales ambassador” for Mr. Trump’s company.

She said the meeting with Taoyuan’s mayor to discuss the Taoyuan Aerotropolis project was arranged by former Taiwan Vice President Annette Lu, whom Ms. Chen said is a friend who had hoped to bring the Trump brand to Taoyuan, where she had previously served as magistrate. She said the meeting took place in September, “way before” Mr. Trump’s election, and talks about any project are at a “very, very early stage and there has been zero details.” [WSJ]

Thus we are now in the realm of – What’s an “authorized visit?” And, what’s an “active conversation?” It seems there is another lady in the mix:

Anne-Marie Donoghue, who identifies herself on her Facebook page as a Trump Hotels Asia sales director, posted a photo from a visit to Taiwan this fall, saying that she was in Taipei and enjoying the trip. “Work trip but it has been so fun!!!” [WSJ]

It’s not “official” but there’s a “sales ambassador” involved? It’s not “active” but there have been two individuals involved in “work” on behalf of the Trumpster’s brand in Taiwan? One of which was having “so much fun!!!”

Deniability is a lovely thing but it doesn’t work when back door dealings are posted on social media and published in the business press.

First it was Argentina, now it’s Taiwan… the message is that the Orange Foolious is still “selling his brand,” and quite possibly selling out American interests.

If you haven’t read the outstanding rant by Charles M. Blow, please click over there as soon as possible and read it. There are many things for which I am thankful this season, and the editorial opinions of Mr. Blow are among them. However, there are several things for which I am definitely NOT thankful.

I am not the least bit thankful that the Executive Office is going to be host to rubbish like Steve Bannon and his ilk. There is no “normalizing” Nazis. There is no way to white-wash over the anti-Semitic, racist, and corporatist ideology which moves him. These people aren’t conservative, and definitely aren’t Conservative. Nothing about them reminds any sentient being of William Buckley or even Lewis Powell. They aren’t populist or even Populist. They aren’t anything like Mary Elizabeth Lease or William Jennings Bryan. To label them “populist” is a measure of the lack of historic knowledge imparted to or retained by our journalists and political writers. Honest Conservatives were worried Bannon would bring this collection of misfits and simpletons into the White House. They were correct. No sooner did the Trumpster move toward the Oval Office than the neo-Nazi were in full Heil Trump form.

I am not thankful for any suggestion that there’s even a remote way of legitimizing “registries” for members of minority groups. When Trumpster spokesperson Carl Higbie suggested that the internment of Japanese Americans set a “precedent” for the registry of Muslim Americans, alarm bells should have gone off all over the country. This country, in one of its worst moments, rounded up approximately 120,000 Japanese Americans along the west coast and herded them into internment camps. They sold their homes, their businesses, their farms, mostly at a fraction of their value. And, now we have Chris Kobach inches from the Trumpster’s ear calling for a repetition of the failed NSEERS program to register Muslims in America.

“The program was considered a failure, both within the Bush administration and by outside experts. By the time the Bush administration ended the domestic registration portion of the program in December 2003, it had registered nearly 100,000 men and led to the deportation of nearly 14,000 ― many of them for overstaying visas or ignoring previous deportation orders. It did not lead to a single terrorism charge against any individuals.” [HuffPo]

That’s correct: 100,000 registrations; 14,000 deportations, and not a single terrorism charge against any individual.

I am not thankful that anyone near the White House should spout such nonsense as “I don’t know any woman who can’t afford birth control.” “Just Google it.” If that weren’t enough, there’s Wayne Allen Root, Trump supporter extraordinaire, who thinks any woman who seeks public assistance, food assistance, or gets free or inexpensive contraceptives should be struck from the voter rolls. [RWW] This level of misogyny and sexism is long out of date, and way beyond the pale. I am thoroughly tired of the blatantly mischaracterized attacks on Planned Parenthood. They are manufactured out of heavily edited, purposefully misleading, and dubiously sourced material – whole cloth as it were. I am not the least bit thankful for that.

No, I’ll continue to call neo-Nazi’s Neo Nazis. I’ll call sexists Sexists. I’ll call racists Racists. Remember when the Right was so sensitive to politically correct speech? Let’s be politically accurate – a Nazi is a Nazi; a Sexist is a Sexist, and an Anti-Semite is an Anti-Semite.

No matter how much “nuance” the editors and publishers may want to cover over those matters with some tasteless seasonal canned gravy.

The Internet, Participation and Accountability. Most staffers (87%) thought email and the Internet have made it easier for constituents to become involved in public policy. A majority of staff (57%) felt email and the Internet have made Senators and Representatives more accountable to their constituents. Less than half (41%) thought email and the Internet have increased citizens’ understanding of what goes on in Washington.

Citizens Have More Power Than They Realize. Most of the staff surveyed said constituent visits to the Washington office (97%) and to the district/state office (94%) have ‘some’ or ‘a lot’ of influence on an undecided Member, more than any other influence group or strategy. When asked about strategies directed to their offices back home, staffers said questions at town hall meetings (87%) and letters to the editor (80%) have ‘some’ or ‘a lot’ of influence.

It’s Not the Delivery Method – It’s the Content. There is virtually no distinction by the congressional staff we surveyed between email and postal mail. They view them as equally influential to an undecided Member. Nearly identical percentages of staffers said postal mail (90%) and email (88%) would influence an undecided Member of Congress.

Grassroots Advocacy Campaigns – Staff are Conflicted. The congressional staff we surveyed have conflicting views and attitudes about the value of grassroots advocacy campaigns. More than one-third of congressional staff (35%) agreed that advocacy campaigns are good for democracy (25% disagreed). Most staff (90%) agreed – and more than 60% strongly agreed – that responding to constituent communications is a high priority in their offices. But, more than half of the staffers surveyed (53%) agreed that most advocacy campaigns of identical form messages are sent without constituents’ knowledge or approval.

Social Media Used to Listen and Communicate. Congressional offices are integrating social media tools into their operations, both to gain an understanding of constituents’ opinions and to communicate information about the Member’s views. Nearly two-thirds of staff surveyed (64%) think Facebook is an important way to understand constituents’ views and nearly three-quarters (74%) think it is important for communicating their Member’s views. [CMC]

As this is written by an “insider” there’s most likely some measure of truth herein. However, note that not all offices are equal – some place more emphasis on phone calls, others on Twitter, others on in person visits. Thus the final advice may be – use whatever you can whenever you can.

President-elect Mango Mess is taking a page out of the 1991 comedy “Soap Dish” in the form of a ‘victory tour’ – but only of the states he won. So, no Mall Walk in the Silver State. (If you haven’t seen, or don’t remember “Soap Dish,” try it. Okay, it doesn’t have all that many stars in the IMDB reviews – but I liked it, and if you’re in need of a bit of comedic relief right now, it’s a good movie for popcorn and relaxing.)

While the BLOTUS is taking his adulation tour and victory lap it might be well for him to remember (a) he lost the popular vote, and (b) there has never been a president of the United States of America who met with unadulterated adulation in the history of this benighted nation. So, when the anti-Mango Mess signage comes out …

Recall, that calls for “give him a chance” lasted only a matter of days until he’d appointed a downright White Supremacist misogynist as his right hand man in the Oval Office. That didn’t take long at all. Then he appointed a fringe lunatic conspiracy theorist anti-Muslim gadfly to his entourage.

Recall, that he’s nominating Senator Jefferson (Davis) (General P.G.T.) Beauregard Session (R-AL) to be Attorney General – this nomination for a man who was declared too racist to be a federal judge.

On the brighter side of the mall – I don’t expect the left side of the political spectrum to line up in lock step opposition to the BLOTUS, but what I do expect is that opposition to the BLOTUS Agenda will be widespread and genuinely hostile. For example, getting Democrats lined out is a bit like the old saw about transporting frogs in a wheelbarrow, but in this instance that may be a good thing. Those whose special concern is environmental, plus those whose vital concerns are for civil and human rights, and those who are particularly sensitive to women’s issues, combined with those who see economic and consumer issues as primal, are all in opposition and the attacks will come on a variety of fronts simultaneously. It should be interesting to see how BLOTUS responds. More trips to the Mall?

As BLOTUS traipses through the Malls awaiting his recognition, it would be nice to see (1) reports that various and sundry organizations are planning “issue ad” campaigns. Sierra Club, Defenders of Wildlife? Nature Conservancy? NAACP? Urban League? Planned Parenthood Action? Etc. (2) reports that donors are making these issue ad campaigns possible. (3) New organizations and coalitions are making informative commercials and message ads visible on TV screens nationwide. A few “call your Congressman/woman” to “demand protection from predatory lenders,” would be welcome, as would advisories about protecting Americans from voter suppression strategies.

Too bad it all comes down to money at some point, but we do need people to step up to support efforts by the AFL-CIO, Labor Organizations, Environmental organizations, Civil Rights organizations, consumer organizations, and women’s issue organizations, immigration organization (etc!) so that the dangers presented by a BLOTUS Administration can be publicized. Might it be nice if for every young person who marches in opposition to BLOTUS, sign in hand, there were two older Americans, passed the marching stage, who can write a check or make a recurring donation to a progressive association or organization?

Think about it. There’s no reason for every walk in the mall to be a walk in the park.

Please pardon the replication of Reverend Niemoller’s famous short poem, but at this point there is a need to face down the ugly and demeaning actions of the Trump supporters and their Dear Leader.

Resist: I’ve already called for support for progressive and liberal organizations that provide the research, and I’ll do it repeatedly. We need an informational infrastructure to help fuel the resistance to Trumpism. If your budget can stand it, pick at least one, or possibly two organizations of your choice and make a donation towards their efforts. We cannot depend on the corporate media to make issues known, and to provide the data necessary to inform the public. I’ve called it #2-4-2018, a way to call attention to the importance of the mid-term elections. We can’t blame these organization for not publicizing and promoting our issues if we haven’t given them the funds to do so.

Resist: Support media outlets that promote tolerance, liberty, and equality. There are a multitude out there, some examples are the Talking Points Memo, Crooks and Liars, Politicususa, and Think Progress, as aggregators these are outstanding, and you probably know of more. There are research based publications like Pro Publica, which is also deserving of our attention and support. There’s also the CBPP, and the EPI, also deserving of support. And, no list would be complete without the Center for American Progress. Make your own list of your favorites and share it with family and friends if you have not already done so.

Resist: Call your Congressional Representatives and public officials. Let them know quickly and surely that American do NOT support criminalizing public protests, such as the legislation proposed in Iowa and Washington state. [Root] It’s never too soon to hold the media accountable – no, Steve Bannon is not “alt-right,” that’s just a euphemism for White Supremacist. No amount of cleansing will ever make his bigoted views “normal.” He’s not the “new normal,” he’s just the old abnormal.

Resist: There’s no need to call for boycotts, simply vote with your eyes and wallet. Unimpressed with the news coverage by major corporate media outlets? Why watch? Lord knows, they are sensitive to their ratings. Why give them any. Watching and being appalled at their ‘coverage?’ There are addresses for sending civil and polite expressions of our displeasure:

CBS Evening News. 524 West 57th St.New York, NY 10019

ABC News 147 Columbus Ave. New York, NY 10023

NBC News 30 Rockefeller PlazaNew York, N.Y. 10112

CNN, One CNN Center, Atlanta, GA, 30303

MSNBC, One MSNBC Plaza Secaucus, NJ 07094

Resist: Get involved at your local level. Find your local organizations and local political committees, and to the extent that you can get involved in their activities. Get up, get out, and get involved.